Stopping Men from Participating in Child Sex Trafficking

The increase in human trafficking among American children has prompted a faith-based rescue organization to partner with local and national churches for a campaign aimed at men in an effort to dissuade them from partaking in the sex slavery industry.

“Protect Her”- an effort of Seattle-based Compassion 2 One – hopes to reverse the desensitization of pimps who view minors as commodities. In addition to launching Protect Her, Compassion 2 One focuses on providing awareness training to a variety of different groups ranging from educators, counselors, parents, pastors and law enforcements agencies, among others, domestically and internationally.

“How do we stop human trafficking in the modern world? The response that we came up with was demand reduction,” said Phil Martin, national director of Compassion 2 One. “You have to stop men from buying commercial sex and from entertaining the sex industry…it’s the law of supply and demand.”

In addition to pledging against participation in trafficking activities, all men involved in the Protect Her campaign will also make a commitment to begin talking about the realities of the commercial sex industry, and donate time or money to organizations that work to combat the problem. Furthermore, the churches involved will host awareness events, trainings and fundraisers. But in order to create a large-scale movement, Martin says he would like to see local churches lead these initiatives and incorporate similar outreach efforts into the “DNA” of their congregations.

While women and girls are involved in sex trafficking, Martin emphasizes that men are the primary individuals responsible for its demand, adding that “it’s like ordering a pizza but you’re buying a human.”